Christian Sewing

Christian Sewing became CEO of Deutsche Bank in April 2018, taking over a bank that had accumulated years of losses, regulatory fines, and strategic drift. He implemented the most sweeping restructuring in Deutsche Bank's history — announced in July 2019 — including the complete exit from equities trading (a major source of revenue in previous years), the reduction of investment banking to focus on Germany's corporate clients and key European relationships, and the elimination of approximately 18,000 positions globally. The restructuring was painful but necessary to address Deutsche Bank's uncompetitive cost structure and unfocused strategy. Sewing has since stabilized the bank, though Deutsche Bank faces ongoing challenges in maintaining profitability in a competitive European banking environment.